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A curated guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:
IRAN WAR – NEGOTIATIONS
On Tuesday, Iran and the United States issued contradictory statements over what has been officially agreed to in their negotiations. Rafael Mariano Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, clarified some of the confusion on Wednesday when he said Iranian nuclear sites would be visited by his inspectors. On Tuesday, Iranian officials said they had not agreed to U.N. inspections (contradicting U.S. Vice President JD Vance), and that Iran’s missile programs were not included in the agreement either. Suzanne Maloney of the Brookings Institution told the New York Times that the different public accounts highlight “how little has actually been agreed upon yet.” David E. Sanger and Yeganeh Torbati for the New York Times. Mari Yamaguchi and Jon Gambrell for the Associated Press.
Iran and Oman said in a joint statement Tuesday that they are working on an agreement for the future administration of the Strait of Hormuz, including the cost of managing transit. Omar Tamo and Julian Lee report for Bloomberg.
IRAN WAR – LEBANON
Israeli soldiers shot and killed two people in southern Lebanon on Tuesday. An Israeli statement said the men, who were riding a bulldozer near Israeli troops, were “Hezbollah terrorists” without providing any evidence. Euan Ward reports for the New York Times.
Israel is under pressure from the United States to withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon, however, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes the idea. One alternative being floated that may have U.S. backing is for Israel to pull back from limited areas in southern Lebanon and have its troops replaced by the Lebanese army. Anat Peled reports for the Wall Street Journal.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Moscow may be looking to escalate its war with Ukraine by pressuring Belarus to become more involved in it. Russia has been using ground stations in Belarus to direct its drones deeper into Ukrainian territory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Kyiv will strike these “ground stations in Belarus if the country continues to allow Russia to use them.” Thomas Grove and Daria Matviichuk for the Wall Street Journal.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
On Wednesday, France confirmed its first Ebola case linked to the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “The patient is a humanitarian doctor who recently returned from the DRC and has been transferred to a specialist hospital, authorities confirmed.” Jon Haworth and Dragana Jovanovic report for ABC News.
Niger, which underwent a military coup in 2023, has formally left the International Criminal Court. Niger, along with Mali and Burkina Faso, announced last year they would leave the Court. On Monday, Niger submitted a letter to the U.N. that triggered the withdrawal process from the Court’s foundational treaty, the Rome Statute. The letter said the Court “has been misused and exploited.” Molly Quell for the Associated Press.
An Iranian singer has been sentenced to 74 lashes for performing without wearing a hijab. Parastoo Ahmadi is also barred from leaving the country or performing with her band for two years. “The government’s crackdown on artistic expression and women’s dress has dampened hopes among some Iranians for a more moderate postwar order,” Zane Irwin and Shirin Hakim for the New York Times.
TECHNOLOGY
The NSA has lost access to Anthropic’s new advanced AI models, Mythos 5 and Fable 5, because of the Trump administration’s dispute with the company. After the Trump administration imposed export controls on Anthropic earlier this month, citing national security concerns, the company had to pull back the release of its models. Dustin Volz and Julian E. Barnes for the New York Times.
Alibaba, a Chinese tech giant, is suing the Department of Defense over its decision to designate the company as affiliated with the Chinese military. The United States also included electric vehicle maker BYD and the robotics company Unitree on a list it released earlier this month. Alibaba filed its lawsuit on Tuesday in Federal District Court in the Northern District of California. The “company said it had no ties to the Chinese military and argued that the Pentagon had acted unlawfully in labeling it as such,” Meaghan Tobin reports for the New York Times.
The U.S. government is pressing Meta to submit its AI models for voluntary review. The Trump administration is trying to do more aggressive oversight of AI development after long promoting a hands-off approach. Tripp Mickle, Eli Tan, and Sheera Frenkel report for the New York Times.
THE U.S. SUPREME COURT
On Tuesday the Court ruled in favor of Cisco Systems, a U.S. technology company, shielding it from a lawsuit by members of the Chinese dissident group and spiritual movement Falun Gong, which claims the company helped the Chinese government surveil and target them. The Court’s ruling reversed a lower court’s decision that permitted the 2011 lawsuit, which was brought under the Alien Tort Statute of 1789. Abbie VanSickle for the New York Times.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is one of the president’s top negotiators in the Middle East, but he is also raising money from foreign governments for his private equity firm at the same time. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is already the largest investor in Kushner’s company, Affinity Partners, and it is once again in talks with the company to invest billions more. Sovereign wealth funds in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are also expected to be asked for even more money by Kushner’s company. Rob Copeland and Maureen Farrell report for the New York Times.
Top Senate Democrats are calling for hearings into a secret, foreign $500 million investment into the Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture on the eve of Trump’s second inauguration. “The deal sold 49% of World Liberty Financial — a crypto venture co-founded by members of the Trump family and U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff — to a group led by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al Nahyan, brother to the United Arab Emirates’ president and head of the country’s spy agencies, according to documents reviewed by the [Wall Street] Journal.” Sam Kessler for the Wall Street Journal.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
Anti-ICE protesters in Texas received extremely harsh sentences on Tuesday, with one person facing 100 years in prison. The protesters, who have been convicted of terrorism charges, had participated in a protest at an immigrant detention facility in Alvarado, Texas last year. A few of the protesters engaged in vandalism, slashing the tires of a government van and breaking a security camera. They had planned to set off fireworks outside the facility. Benjamin Song, who fired a gun at a police officer after he drew his weapon, could spend anywhere from 20 years to life in prison. Sam Levine reports for The Guardian.
On Tuesday, a federal judge in California blocked the Trump administration from arresting non-citizens at immigration courthouses. U.S. District Judge P. Casey Pitts also limited how long non-citizens can be held at short-term facilities that are not properly equipped to house people. Michael Loria for USA Today.
White South Africans entering the United States as refugees will receive a welcome bag that includes “an Android tablet, an American flag and copies of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence.” The Trump administration has celebrated their arrival while barring refugees facing war and persecution from everywhere else in the world. Hamed Aleaziz and Zolan Kanno-Youngs for the New York Times.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The Senate voted on Tuesday to stop the U.S. military campaign against Iran, with four Republicans breaking ranks to help get the war powers resolution passed. The legislation would block further military action unless Congress gave permission for it. The vote was a symbolic one, but it still makes a statement against the president and his decision to go to war. Connor O’Brien for POLITICO.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
The Department of Homeland Security is allowing the Iranian national soccer team to travel to its Friday game in Seattle two days before the match. Previously, DHS had more restrictive guidelines for the team, which is being required by the United States to lodge outside the country. Monica Alba and Rebecca Cohen report for NBC News.
The Pentagon, under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s leadership, is forcing out one of the military’s most-admired general officers, General Chris “C.D.” Donahue, a “legendary Delta Force leader who was considered a top candidate for Army chief of staff or even chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.” He is currently the head of Army forces in Africa and Europe, a post Hegseth is expected to downgrade to a three-star position. Nancy A. Youssef and Missy Ryan report for the Atlantic.
Bill Pulte, Trump’s acting director of national intelligence, has fired six political appointees that were put in place by his predecessor – Tulsi Gabbard – and has sent back 45 career officials, who were on loan to his office, to their home agencies. Katie Bo Lillis, Zachary Cohen, Kristen Holmes for CNN.
Reversing itself, the U.S. Military says new recruits need flu vaccinations as an influenza outbreak continues to spread at an Air Force base in Texas. Earlier this year, Hegseth made the flu vaccine optional for troops. ABC News reports.
New legal documents help explain why the Justice Department opened an investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center. It appears the FBI lifted a lot of its language directly from a letter sent to presidential adviser Stephen Miller by right-wing groups that SPLC had previously criticized. Alan Feuer for the New York Times.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
The Justice Department has withdrawn subpoenas it issued this spring to force journalists at the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal to testify before a grand jury. The subpoenas targeted reporters who cover national security, including the Washington Post’s Ellen Nakashima. Trying to force journalists to testify under oath before a grand jury marks a new escalation in the administration’s attempts to control the media. Both newspapers were challenging the subpoenas in the Eastern District of Virginia in sealed proceedings when the Justice Department rescinded them earlier this month. Perry Stein for the Washington Post.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.
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